Thursday, February 26, 2009

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not, then tag your friends.

Things you have done during your lifetime:

(X)Gone on a blind date(X) Donated Blood(X) Skipped school( ) Watched someone die (unless you count my dog)(X) Been to Canada(X) Been to Mexico(X) Been to Florida( ) Been to Hawaii (X) Been on a plane(X) Been on a helicopter(X) Been lost(X)Gone to Washington, DC( ) Hugged a homeless person (X) Swam in the ocean( ) Swam with Stingrays (No way! I am terrified of ocean animals!) (X) Been sailing in the ocean (X) Cried yourself to sleep(X) Played cops and robbers(X) Recently colored with crayons(X) Ran a marathon(X) Sang Karaoke( ) Volunteered at a soup kitchen (X) Paid for a meal with coins only( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch( ) Seen the Northern Lights(X) Been on TV (X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't (X) Made prank phone calls( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose ( ) Fed an elephant (X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue(X) Fired a gun(X) Danced in the rain( ) Been to the Opera( ) Written a letter to Santa Claus (X) Serenaded someone( ) Seen a U.S. President in person (but Steven saw Bill Clinton at UCLA)(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe(X ) Watched the sunrise with someone( ) Driven a race car (X) Been to a National Museum ( ) Been to a Wax Museum( ) Eaten caviar (X) Blown bubbles(X) Gone ice-skating(X) Gone to the movies( ) Been deep sea fishing (X) Driven across the United States (we put 11,000 miles on the truck in 8 weeks!)( ) Been in a hot air balloon ( ) Been sky diving (X) Gone snowmobiling(X) Lived in more than one country---England(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets (or frogs)(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser(X) Seen the Grand Canyon(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle (X) Been on a cruise(X) Traveled by train( ) Traveled by motorcycle(X) Been horse back riding(X) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car (X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer( ) Been in a rain forest (X) Seen whales in the ocean(X) Been to Niagara Falls ( ) Ridden on an elephant ( ) Swam with dolphins( ) Been to the Olympics( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf( ) Been spinnaker flying(X) Been water-skiing (X) Been snow-skiing (X) Been to Westminster Abbey( ) Been to the Louvre( ) Swam in the Mediterranean (X) Been to a Major League Baseball game ( ) Been to a National Football League game( ) Swam with sharks(X) Been White Water Rafting(X) Written a book or screen play --- does it count if I never got it published?(X) Been to Europe(X) Been to Vegas(X) Climbed a lighthouse(X) Seen the cherry blossoms in Washington, D. C.( ) Flown a plane( ) Owned a boat ( ) Gone skinny dipping ( ) Watched grandchildren grow ( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby (maybe someday?)( ) Been to Key West(X) Been to a rodeo

I'm excited to try to see if I can do more of the things on this list. I'd especially love to see the Mediterranian, the Great Wall of China, and dolphins/elephants are both neat. Knowing Steve, we will also one day own a boat and see the Northern Lights too.

I tag Dagny, Valerie, and Mike/Catherine; unless they don't want to do it, in which case, they are exempt without any hurt feelings.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

We were lucky enough to have three visitors come stay with us over the last couple of weekends. First April’s friend Angie came. We went down to Long Beach to see the aquarium.

On the way back we ate at Jalisco’s. This is a whole in the wall that has best al pastor I have had outside of Mexico. Mike and Catherine came down to visit us and get the So Cal tour this last weekend. Unfortunately the weather was the worst I have ever experienced since I have lived here. But we did get a break from the rain to visit the San Diego Zoo.(Camels are April's favorite)We also:

toured UCLA including both the botanical and Japanese gardens, walked through Bel-Air,

ate at Pink’s, (Catherine and I both got the Lord of the Rings Dog, always a good choice) (I haven’t even started eating it yet and my fingers are already covered in barbecue sauce)

Mikes and April's dogs were pretty good too. ate at Diddy Riese twice,drove through Hollywood,

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Today I had my first real case. It was unemployment insurance hearing for a former Metro Transit Authority driver downtown. I represented the driver through the clinical program here at UCLA. I served as the representative (giving the direct and cross examinations), my partner gave the closing argument, and our professor sat in to make sure we didn’t screw it up. Fortunately we didn’t. I think the hearing went very well. We'll hear in a couple of weeks whether or not we won. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Now that it’s over I may even have time to post on the blog again.

Update: MSNBC has a very good article on UI appeal hearings like the one I was doing yesterday (ironically the article came out yesterday as well). Here’s the link:

The article captures the mood of these hearings. The MTA was there fighting tooth-and-nail against us to deny benefits. In fact funny story, when we got there we asked our client to look around to see if there was anyone he recognized so we could know if the employer was there to fight the appeal. He told us he recognized his former line instructor sitting in the corner. Just as I was about to approach her to introduce myself and see what evidence she might have brought the judge called her into a hearing. She had been fired as well and was there for her own appeal! It looks like everyone is getting fired and accused of misconduct. Then our client’s supervisor and another person that the MTA sent to fight our appeal showed up.

The article cites Boyton, a case about a taxi driver that we relied on heavily in our oral argument before the judge. This was a driver who got in several accidents that were way more severe than anything that ever happened to our client (essentially our case was about a flat tire) where no misconduct was found. The author of the MSNBC article speculates that the Boyton case would not come out the same way if it were decided today. I guess we'll find out...

The Garff Family

Family Photo, Fall 2015

The Garffs Which Whom the World is According to:

We met on New Year's Eve 2004 and were married 2 years and 2 days later on January 2, 2007. We have been married for 8 years. We spent 3 years living in Los Angeles, CA, and then lived in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for 2 years. We are currently living in Salt Lake City. Steven graduated from law school at UCLA and is an attorney and member of the California and Utah Bars, and is currently working as in-house counsel for a supplement company called Basic Research. Steven likes to listen to music, read, and hike. April is a CFO (Cheif Family Officer) for the S.W. Garff Corporation where she manages all things Garff. April is an NASM-certified personal trainer who used to race marathons, but has had to since settle for 1/2 marathons due to demanding schedule of nursing, playdates, and naps. We have the cutest 6-year-old boy named William with the biggest, brightest blue eyes that you have ever seen. Our Silly Billy is the light of our lives---he can always produce a giggle. We have also settled into becoming parents of multiples; twins Caleb and Lily are 3. And the newest arrival is sweet baby Jane, born May 2015. We have a full house with 4 kids, 1 lop-eared rabbit named Dandelion, and a Great Dane mix named Cricket. Our other family includes 2 babies, Kiki and Nike the Samoyeds, and Rita the rat, all waiting for us in heaven.

William

Silly Billy has a smile for everyone and a love of all things boy. Current favorites are superheroes, ninjas, and legos. William is a true California boy and will play in the sand for hours and loves all things Disney. William is a social butterfly and has loved making new friends at school. He LOVES school. Especially science. He is always making us laugh and says the funniest things. And those piercing blue eyes---what a heartbreaker! We miss him when he goes to kindergarten.

Sweet Jane

Jane is the newest addition to our family. She is a total sweetheart. Jane loves to snuggle and be held. She is a pleasant baby, but also likes to do things her own way...she will not do anything unless she wants to. We have loved her being a part of our family!

Caleb Anderson

Born 36 minutes before his bigger sister, Caleb loves to think that he's a big boy. He is a happy boy...except when he's mad, then look out! Caleb is a huge sweetheart and a sensitive soul; he is always doing nice things for his siblings...except when he's not. Caleb gets along with everyone and is a great helper, especially with Jane. He is the best at getting her to giggle.

Lily Anne

Lily is our princess. She is a still a bit of a diva, adding all sorts of demands and drama, but she just wants to make life interesting. Lily and Caleb are the best of frenemies. Lily misses Caleb when they are apart, but sometimes she can't stand to be around him. She's still a screamer, but that's just to be heard when her brothers are around. Lily loves to play in the dirt with her brothers, but usually does so in a princess dress. Lily LOVES having a sister and is planning to be bffs with her baby sister.

Cricket

Cricket is a 3-year-old Great Dane mix, weighing in at about 100 lbs. Cricket LOVES to run. Her other favorite things include laying around the house, snuggling, meeting new people, balls, and squeaky toys.